GIO Member Herding Part 45 of XX...

One of my favorite elements of Member Herding is learning
a bit more about various community members and discovering that I actually have
a lot in common with them. The person featured in this episode of Member
Herding is someone I've talked with on occasion and chatted with in game (even
though technically we were worlds apart), but honestly, not someone I talk with
daily. I'm not his favorite member of the community (at least not yet), but
some of you reading this probably are. And now, thanks to Member Herding, who
knows what the future holds between us.

He's written one of my favorite blogs at Game Informer
and is without a doubt a solid member of the community. He contributes both as
a content provider and by supporting others with their posts. He's someone that
I apparently have a lot in common with (except for liking Skyrim) - from non-video
game hobbies like shooting, to our passion for all things Star Wars and even
our choice and approach to video games like Call of Duty and Battlefield. He's
none other than the seasoned veteran gamer and committed community member that
you all know and love as...

GIO Name: Noobtubin8er

GIO Rank: Power
Member - Level 9

Gaming Experience
(Years playing): 27 years

Last Game
Completed: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Currently Playing:
Star Wars: The Old Republic

Origin of GIO
Profile Name: A few years back, I played Modern Warfare on the PS3 in a
very large but well organized clan. The clan was divided up into 7-8 man squads
chosen, generally, at random with a squad leader and squad assistant. In the
squad I had been assigned to, three of us had been dubbed "The
Noobtubinaters" due to our high proficiency with grenade launchers and the
fact that we could level an entire opposing team in a match of search and
destroy on nearly every Modern Warfare map within 10 seconds using our three
launchers. After a while, I quit the clan as I had bought an Xbox 360 so I
could play online with my brother since we hadn't talked to each other much
over the past few years. When I signed up, I decided to carry my clan nickname
over and just got witty by using the "8". In hindsight, it wasn't
very witty, but it has stuck.

And now for everybody's favorite element of Member Herding...the
questions.

1. We have a lot in common including our
outlook on Battlefield and Call of Duty. Admitting you like both games, list
one thing you like and dislike about each game. What style/class do you
normally play and what is your preferred weapon load out? No doubt a new Call
of Duty is in the works - predictions where the series will go next or where
you would like to see it go? Will the next game outsell Modern Warfare 3 (the
current record holder)?

I love Battlefield's ability to bring large-scale combat
into the game, an area sorely lacking in the Call of Duty franchise. It forces
you to think before running into a wide-open field and to consider your team's
overall tactical approach. Unfortunately, Battlefield's co-op is awful and the
story for Battlefield 3 felt like they just took some elements from past Call
of Duty games and mashed them together. When playing Battlefield, I enjoy the
assault class. The weapons layout gives me the ability to act in both close
quarters and medium range combat while still assisting my team as a medic.

For me, Call of Duty's biggest strength (besides its
general popularity) is in its variety. The number of game modes and options
available keep me from getting complacent. Additionally, its co-op is
absolutely amazing, especially in the last two Modern Warfare releases.
Unfortunately, the single-player suffers from spotty writing and research,
making some of the story bits good and the rest completely awful (Modern
Warfare 2, for example). In Modern Warfare 3, you will most likely see me
ghosting with a suppressed M4 (or other assault rifle) with grenade launcher, a
pistol sidearm, blind eye pro, assassin pro, and stalker pro.

I think the next Call of Duty title will be back in the
Black Ops era. I would personally like to see them broach the area of Cold War
Era Afghanistan, though it would probably get some degree of backlash as your
team would most likely have to work along-side early era Al Qaeda, which
probably wouldn't sit well with some. But that portion of the Cold War remains
largely untouched (aside from Rambo), leaving a wide-open area for some great
story-telling.

As for sales, the next game is back in the hands of
Treyarch, a developer I am not a huge fan of. I have come very close to not
buying World at War and Black Ops, so this next entry may be the one I leave on
the shelf. But, in the end, Call of Duty continually gains momentum and as long
as the population of console gamers continues to grow, so will the population
of Call of Duty players. Since we won't see a new generation of systems being
released (Wii U doesn't count because it is more of an Xbox/PS3 generation
console that is just late to the party), I think the next entry will break
Modern Warfare 3's record.

[SAINT: That was
quite the answer, but serves me right for those multipart questions. I mostly
agree with your response. It sounds like I enjoyed the Battlefield story a
little more than you did, but definitely think its grand scale makes it stand
out compared to its closest rival. I actually think Modern Warfare's popularity
is kind of a disadvantage because obviously the more people playing it, the more
problems you're going to experience with the quality of people playing the game
(and by quality I mean those obnoxious unruly players who cheat, troll or boost).

It's funny you say the game will be back in
the Black Ops era because there was a recent post at GI suggesting there was
going to be a Black Ops 2. Maybe you saw this, maybe you didn't...but I certainly
think it's possible. Your idea of a game focusing on the Cold War era is
interesting. Not a period I'm a big fan of but that's mostly because I'm not a
history buff and don't remember all the details from school. Breaking Modern
Warfare 3's record will be a Herculean task, but I tend to agree that the
number of gamers is continually increasing, so yes, we'll probably see another
record breaker, regardless of how well the game turns out. Great reply!]

2. Something else we have in common is Star
Wars. Coming from someone whose profile indicates he has sons with Star Wars
inspired names, I'm not surprised you are attracted to the recently released The
Old Republic. Give us a brief summary of your character. Do you think TOR is
going to maintain its fan base for a significant length of time (does it have
unlimited potential growth)? Do you think TOR had any impact or effect on World
of Warcraft? How do you think the stories in TOR compare to the actual movies?
Favorite Star Wars movie (as if I have to ask)?

My character is Noobtubinater, a Jedi Sentinel who has
carved out his reputation as the Hero of Tython, destroyer of Sith and Bane of
the Empire. He is essentially a picture perfect Jedi, though he adheres to
Revan's thoughts on Jedi and love, as he has fallen in love with his padawan
who has now become a knight herself. For those unfamiliar with Revan's theory,
it is attachment that is the problem, the fear of loss not the emotion of love
that leads to the dark side. It is the Jedi's inability to teach Jedi of how to
handle emotion that creates the problem.

I think The Old Republic has potential to stick around
for a long time, like any other successful MMO. However, for those like me who
only play because there is a real story, unlike other MMO's, I will only be
around as long as there is story. So, for me, each expansion will need to
extend the story and not just throw in a bunch of pointless fetch quests and
new planets to see.

I have never understood the true draw of World of
Warcraft. In an age where games have become an art form where stories are laid
out in more detail than a movie, I cannot wrap my brain around a game with no
obvious purpose other than to make a powerful character. The experience simply
doesn't make sense to me. With that opinion in mind, I must say that World of
Warcraft's days are probably numbered, but not by The Old Republic. World of
Warcraft seems to come off more as a cartoonized version of Zork and will soon
become a hidden Easter egg in a Call of Duty game.

I cannot compare the stories from The Old Republic to the
movies. I think the scope of the games is much grander than the movies. The
game also suffers from lulls in the story where you have to gain levels to keep
up with the difficulty of your story-based quests, but some of those side
stories are quite entertaining. I will say, though, that the twist in the first
act of the Jedi Knight story caught me a bit off guard.

Empire Strikes Back is the best, no question whatsoever.

[SAINT: That's a
great story about your character from the Old Republic. Spoken like a real Star
Wars patriot! I wish I had more time to lose myself in the game but
unfortunately I don't. I think it's a beautiful and magical game that borrows a
lot of concepts from the movies, and I'm okay with that, but I just refuse to
let myself get wrapped up into it or else I might not ever blog or do anything other
than play that game. Like you, I never grasped how and why so many people got
caught up on WoW - but that harkens to the blog I wrote about setting - WoW is
not a setting I'm particularly interested in. I think the game complements the
movies very well, at least the parts I have experienced. And without doubt, ESB
is the best...no question whatsoever. On that, we couldn't agree more.]

3. As a fan of The Walking Dead, cast your
fellow Game Informer Online members in the following roles: Rick Grimes, Lori
Grimes, Shane Walsh, Andrea, Dale, Glenn, Daryl Dixon and T-Dog. Why do you
think gamers have such an attraction to zombie games? Do you think we'll see
The Walking Dead video game or is the market already too flooded with games
like Dead Island and the Left for Dead series? What's your plan to survive the
zombie apocalypse?

Rick Grimes -
I would say myself here, but that wouldn't be fair. I'd have to hand this to
you, Saint. Like Rick, you seek to advance the group itself and sacrifice your
time and effort to do that and to do it the best you can while maintaining a
cool, level-head.

Lori Grimes -
Oni no Tenshi. Similar to Lori, Oni tends to be the voice of reason amongst a
bunch of testosterone pumped guys with guns and is sort of the mother figure
amongst the group.

Shane Walsh - Eyros2k.
Shane and Eyros2k seem to suffer from a similar issue. It is not that they
don't have good points, ideas or plans; their presentation is just difficult
for some to handle. But, they definitely know what they are doing.

Andrea -
Mojomonkey12. I love the guy to death, but if you have played co-op with him
you know that, like Andrea, it is likely he will get you killed or shoot you in
the head on accident.

Dale -
Shootist2600. Like Dale, Shootist carries the aged and educated wisdom that can
only be found through time and experience, he's old school.

Glenn - The
Legendary Ewok King. Like Glenn, TLEK has a willingness about him to really try
but he still carries that youthful innocence that comes off as ignorance, even
when surrounded by hordes of hungry zombies.

Daryl Dixon -
Doctor Apozem. Like Daryl, Apozem does what he feels needs to be done but isn't
looking for world-wide recognition for it. He just does it.

T-Dog -
indiejones. I'm not sure exactly why, but I could picture indie cutting himself
on a rusty car part while trying to escape from zombies.

Like the movies and shows, zombies are amongst the most
terrifying creatures thought of. Twilight has forever killed vampires and
werewolves, making them sissies forever in my eyes. Zombies cannot be threatened,
cannot be bargained with and are afraid of nothing. Also, in our age of
chemicals and drugs, they are probably the most viable. Being able to pit
ourselves against a threat like this with minimal weapons and ammo in a game
gives us a way to experience that thrill. I think there is no question we will
see a Walking Dead game, even if it is by Telltale, the team that butchered
Jurassic Park. In my opinion, there aren't enough zombie games and there are
plenty of genres left to work with and I would really love to see a
well-crafted Walking Dead game.

As for my survival plan, I currently have food and water
storage to last my family and some friends for about a year and weapons to arm
a small militia. This gives me time to formulate detailed plans and determine
where is safe to go for supplies and where is too dangerous. With my other
shooting friends in the area, we would move all our gear into a two or three
story house, destroy the stairs to the second floor (since zombies can't climb)
and work on building a secure zone until we are able to determine how the rest
of the world has fared.

[SAINT: I don't
think you could have answered this question any better...I was literally laughing
out loud with this one. The Rick Grimes = Saint comment is a real complement.
He is my favorite character and I love how just when you think he is weak /
soft - he'll do something that makes you gasp in shock. I think part of the
appeal of using zombies as bad guys is it gives us the opportunity to shoot
people that aren't really people and not feel bad about it. It can even be
somewhat graphic and not make us feel bad about it. As far as your survival
plan, sounds like I need to work my way towards your place, heh heh...I don't
each much and can bring my own hardware. But I still say holing up in a prison
is the best plan.]

4. What are five of the most influential
games of all times and what makes them so influential? What are five of the
most overrated games of all times and what makes them so? And finally, what
game, if any do you think is the most under-appreciated?

Oh gosh, I hate trying to make lists as much as you
do...but I'll try:

Most Influential

5) Grand Theft Auto - I really don't play these games and
have little interest in them. However, I also know that the open world sandbox
concept I love in many games like Skyrim owes a lot of its advances to this
series.

4) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - Love or hate the Call
of Duty franchise, every gamer must recognize that the face of the on-line
shooter was forever changed with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Even
Battlefield has taken a number of elements from Call of Duty and owes the vast
majority of their success to the franchise.
Modern Warfare popularized modern combat and weapons system while
focusing on urban combat scenarios.

3) Alone in the Dark (the 1992 version) - Though it
wasn't the very first survival horror game, it definitely wrote the book which
Resident Evil and Silent Hill have capitalized on. Without the Alone in the
Dark franchise, I am fairly certain the survival horror genre would be far more
limited than what it currently is.

2) Ultima - Back in the late 70's/early 80's the FBI had
put out a document and a series of lectures explaining why the Dungeons and
Dragons craze amounted to Satanism, quite similar to the handout related to
internet cafes and terrorism I wrote about a couple of weeks back. In the
foolishness Richard Garriott released Ultima on the Apple II. Without D&D,
many kids turned to the computer for their entertainment and Ultima had been
designed around the D&D systems, so it became vastly popular and is one of
the big roots for modern RPG's.

1) Pong - The original video game should always be the
most influential game, ever. It doesn't matter how complex the story, the
graphics, the gameplay, or any other factor, it all came from two lines
bouncing a ball back and forth. Without it, we would have nothing.

Most Overrated

5) The Sims - I don't know what happened to the awesome
Sim City, Sim Earth, even Sim Ant; but they got replaced by the most pointless
waste of time ever developed. I view each release and expansion of this game to
be a giant middle finger to the thinking portion of the brain of every consumer
that buys it. I think EA even pays a person to laugh hysterically every time a
sale occurs...

4) Super Mario Brothers - That's right, let the flame
fest begin. But, and I alluded to this in a blog post of mine a month or so
back, aside from graphics and a couple of enemies, what has changed in this
game since the first version in the 80's? It probably doesn't help that I think
the Wii is a joke and the Wii U is a rehashed stolen Carlos Mencia joke, but
the era of Mario ended after the first release on the NES.

3) Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy X - Mojo's going
to slap a forehead for this or say "WHAT?!" but I honestly think
these two Final Fantasy games were absolutely awful and neither deserved a
direct sequel. The sequels to both are even worse, if that is even possible.

2) L.A. Noire - Yes, the facial recognition was amazingly
cool, but the game was a giant piece of boredom. The occasional chase and
gunfight only seemed to serve as a teaser to make you think the game was
actually going to become cool, but would quickly let you down. After about an
hour, I found it more fun to take a car and run people down with it or jump off
of cliffs.

1) Halo 3 - Few know this, but I have owned two Xbox
360's and never once had the RROD. I bought my first 360 in anticipation of
Halo 3. The first entry in the series was amazing. Though the second was
nowhere near as good, I really wanted to see the end of the story. Within minutes
of completing the campaign, I had the 360 posted on craigslist and sold within
an hour. The Halo 3 disc...well...we'll just say I now know what a .50 caliber
bullet does to an Xbox 360 game.

Most
Under-appreciated

Hands down this will go as a tie to Mystery House and
Colossal Cave Adventure. These two games are the great-grandfathers of
puzzle-solving games. Without these two games, I doubt we would be experiencing
half of the games out on the market right now. Yet many younger gamers would
look at these and scoff. But they were the springboard for so many of the point
and click adventures made by Sierra and many newer games took their inspiration
from them.

[SAINT: Those were
some interesting choices, on each list. Of course it's your list, so I would
never question any of them but I was a bit surprised by Super Mario Bros -although
I understand your comment. I have to be honest, I don't recall your two most
under-appreciated games, so that's kind of neat to hear about something that is
somewhat of an oddity. In recent times, I'd have to say I was a little
disappointed with the reception that Medal of Honor received. I thought it was
much better than what the critics did.]

5. As someone who has witnessed the
evolution of video games from the days of the Intellivision to present day, do
you think video games are comparatively better/worse/same today than they were
back then? When do you think we'll see the next Xbox and Playstation? While
Microsoft and Sony are playing catch up with Nintendo in the motion controller
department, now we're hearing rumors they may follow suit with adding more
features like miniature monitors on the controllers. What are your thoughts on
the input device of the future? Will there always be a big three or is the next
generation of gaming consoles going to be a battle between Microsoft and Sony?

I think they are mostly better, so long as we ignore 98%
of the games released on the Wii. Dialogue has come a long way from the
"It's dangerous to go alone. Take this" era and the storytelling has
been refined to where you no longer need a 20 page instruction booklet with a backstory
to help you understand the purpose of what you are doing.

I am anticipating an announcement for the new Xbox and
Playstation at E3 this year, though I doubt we will see a release until 2013. I
think both Microsoft and Sony have recognized that a weak economy will lead to
weak sales of a new system that is guaranteed to have a high price tag. At the
same time, I think they both learned lessons from the launch of the PS3 and the
360 regarding rushing a product just to make an arbitrary deadline. Top those
off with the general idea that the Wii U poses no market share risk for the
next generation of consoles, an idea I completely agree with, and you aren't
given a reason to have a new system on the market.

Well, first off, I think Sony is playing catch-up with Nintendo
and Microsoft has developed a far superior motion controller. The problem with
motion controls in general is that it is an instance of invention driving
necessity rather than necessity driving invention. I don't think producers and
developers have been begging for motion control abilities for games and thus
weren't really prepared for it. So, to fill the demand for games on these
systems, publishers have been making every title that comes out of someone's
mouth, leading to the pile of crap with the occasional gem as we have it now,
for all three systems. I think as we see developers really find a solid use for
these input devices (i.e. Mass Effect 3's amazing audio control system) and as
the hardware is fine-tuned, we will see these motion controls become more
popular, though I doubt there will be a true demise of the controller, at least
not in the near future. One of the beauties of a controller is that physical
limitations (other than in the hands) do not limit a person's abilities in
game. If a controller went completely away, those who are over-weight or out of
shape will not be able to play anywhere near as long as they do now. Though
this idea sounds like advancement with people getting in better shape, I think
we would just see fewer people buying the games and systems.

Having been a Genesis, Sega CD, Saturn, and Dreamcast
owner, I know that no single company is too big to fail at systems. At the same
time, some companies can pop out of nowhere and make an awesome one (Sony). I
think any of the current three could fall, Nintendo being the current
most-likely candidate. At the same time, I think there are a lot of companies
who could pop in and change everything (i.e. Apple, LG, etc...). However, new
doesn't always mean better, let us not forget the Philips CD-i travesty.

[SAINT: Sage advice
from a wise gamer, indeed. I'm curious to see how the Kinect + Mass Effect 3
combo works out. I think one great game that gets behind a motion controller
will boost an interest in that technology. Perhaps Mass Effect 3 (or Future
Soldier) will achieve this. You bring up a great point with the next generation
console being impacted by the economy. The big three will certainly have to
trudge on (I don't think they will hold up development) but have to be careful
when they roll out their new hardware or else risk poor sales. I don't think I
would buy a next generation console if it were released anytime soon. Hah, I
say that even though I've waited in line the night before to make sure I get
one (Xbox 360 and Xbox).]

Bonus Question #1: Oni no Tenshi asks, "What
do you think has been the biggest gaming innovation thus far?"

On-line gaming. The ability to game with people from
around the world has opened our ability to expand our personal horizons as is
another step in building a world community that is more understanding and
tolerant of one another. It also ups the talent pool, forcing players to step
up their game to keep up with the pack.

[SAINT: Yup. No
doubt about it. Nothing else has changed how we play games more than on-line
gaming.]

Bonus Question #2: Oni no Tenshi asks,
"If you had to assassinate a dictator or bad guy and do it in the style of
a popular Nintendo video game character, who would you be and how would you do
it?"

Like most others, I would pick Adolf Hitler (though in
his case, I wouldn't have to, it would be a pleasure). Being a classical gamer,
I would have to take him down Dig-Dug style: injected with a hose in his
backside and inflated with air until he popped.

[SAINT: Who knew
Oni no Tenshi was more Oni than Tenshi? That is quite the method you have
there. Messy but effective. I'm not a big fan of that period, so if it were me,
I'd go with something more modern...Act of Valor (movie) seems to be doing pretty
well, so maybe a game that lets you be a member of SEAL Team 6 and go after OBL
and all his henchmen along the way.]

Bonus Question #3: Saint asks, "Assuming
you've seen Toy Story, if you were Andy would you pick Buzz Lightyear or Woody
(and if you haven't, would you pick a cowboy toy over a spaceman toy)?"

Woody was a cowboy without a gun...what kind of a cowboy
is that? He had a holster, but no gun. Buzz at least had a light where his
laser was supposed to go and there was a good chance the laser could eventually
blind someone. So, I would take Buzz. My kids are also obsessed with Buzz, so
it has rubbed off on me a bit.

[SAINT: HAH HAH!
Too funny. This is actually a very difficult question for me to answer and
something I've wrestled with ever since I saw the first one. I like spacemen
and that whole genre, but I'm a country boy at heart and lean more towards Woody...but
that blinky light was pretty cool.]

My bucket list is massive. I enjoy hiking, so there are a
ton of trails on the list including the Appalachian trail, but I have one major
dream that shines above the rest. Being a gun guy who is into long-distance
shooting, I would love to be able to attend either a Marine or Army sniper schools.
Over the years, I have learned a lot of their skills and techniques from the
men themselves, but only in piecemeal bits, never in its entirety. I would love
to put myself through the paces and see if I have what it takes to shoot
alongside the best and earn my own hogs tooth.

[SAINT: That is a
pretty impressive bucket list item. Honestly, I'm not a bucket list kind of
guy. I've achieved more than I ever thought possible and of course I still have
things I'd like to do, but nothing I feel like I need to do. That being said,
there are some low level - relatively easy to achieve items like "attend Comic
Con or E3" and higher level - harder to achieve like "stand on the moon and
look at Earth". I'd also like to compete in The Amazing Race with my brother...so
I guess we'll see what happens.]

Ask Me A Question
And I Might Just Answer It.

Noobtubin8er asks, "Time to return the list-favor [insert
maniacal laughter here]: using the movies, books, comic books or any other part
of the Star Wars Universe, who are your favorite three characters, who are your
least favorite three characters, and why?

Also, as a rite of passage between Star Wars fans, who
shot first?"

[SAINT: Okay, well the easy answer first...without
a doubt Han shot first. No question. I have the original movie to prove it. And
touché with getting me back on the list...Grr, I hate lists!]

(It's pretty clear!)

The three favorites
are easy.

1) Han Solo is why
I love Star Wars. The character he represents - this scruffy nerfherder with a
fast ship...a rough side, but overall a good heart...he's more than just your run of
the mill smuggler, or futuristic pirate...he's a lot like Nathan Drake of the
Uncharted fame...a "bad guy" but a likable bad guy, who you find isn't really all
that bad.

2) Boba Fett is
kind of on the opposite end of the spectrum as Han Solo, but just as cool. He's
menacing and intimidating...very mysterious. I actually think he lost some of his
awesomeness after the "new" movies came out as they revealed his origin - what was
it, Episode II I think? I didn't really care for Jango Fett and that whole
chain of events, but whatever. His legacy lives on and in ESB he was right up
there with Darth Vader himself. I mean, who carries a sawed off blaster rifle. That
just screams BAMF!

3) Kyle Katarn.
Yeah, I know...he's a Jedi and I'm not a big fan of Jedi (or Sith) but I do like
Kyle Katarn. If Han Solo was a Jedi, he'd be Kyle Katarn. Kyle is quoted as saying,
"I'm no Jedi; I'm just a guy with a lightsaber and a few questions." One of the
things I like about Kyle is he is a former Stormtrooper, and I have this thing
for Stormtroopers. I just like his story and his personality. He's a great
character.

Hmm...least three
favorite characters?

1. Jar Jar Binks - I
don't think I need to say any more than that.

2. Anakin Skywalker
from Episode I - So, here's this little punk kid that gets this really hot girl
who appears to be two or three times older than him to fall for him? How's that
work? And he also gets in a Naboo starfighter like it's an arcade game and not
only flies it but takes down the command post...gimme a break. The podracer was
one thing, but having him fly a star fighter...whatever. I don't care if he
is/was the chosen one, I strongly dislike this kid.

3. Tie between the
Lars family and the Twi'lek from Return of the Jedi. Uncle Owen was a grumpy
old man and abusive...Aunt Beru just turned her back on all of it. And it just
got worse in the Attack of the Clones when Anakin goes to rescue his mother on
Tatooine. Sigh. The Lars family is one dysfunctional family, and I'll leave it
at that. And that Twi'lek from ROJ just gave me the creeps.

A special thanks to Noobtubin8er for spending some time
with us while divulging a few details about his gaming personality. To read
more about Noobtubin8er, view his GIO profile here.